Liquid defoaming device and cleaning apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, and provides a liquid defoaming device and a cleaning apparatus, which are designed for solving the problem of a large amount of liquid mixture bubbles in a pipeline under test. The liquid defoaming device comprises: a defoaming chamber, the inner wall surface of the defoaming chamber being a rotating curved surface, and the radius of an inner wall surface lower part gradually decreasing from top to bottom, wherein the defoaming chamber is provided with a liquid inlet and a first liquid outlet, the liquid inlet is provided in the upper portion of the defoaming chamber, the liquid inlet direction of the liquid inlet is a direction parallel to a tangent of an inner wall surface upper part of the defoaming chamber, and the first liquid outlet is located in the middle of the bottom end of the inner wall surface; and a cover body, covering the defoaming chamber, wherein the cover body is provided with a second liquid outlet, and the second liquid outlet is opposite to the center of the top end of the defoaming chamber. According to the liquid defoaming device provided by the present application, the separation efficiency can be improved, and the bubble content in the liquid is reduced.

Description

Liquid defoaming devices and cleaning equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and in particular to a liquid defoaming device and cleaning equipment. Background Art

[0002] Wet-etch tank cleaning systems in the semiconductor industry typically consist of modules with different process functions, such as SC1 (Standard Chemical 1), SC2 (Standard Chemical 2), BOE (Buffered Oxide Etch), and SPM (Sulfuric Acid / Hydrogen Peroxide Module). These modules each contain one or more sets of primary chemical circulation lines, including process tanks, circulation pumps, filters, heaters, flow meters, and concentration meters.

[0003] To enhance cleaning effectiveness, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is often added to the circulation piping during the cleaning process. This can lead to a large number of bubbles in the piping, especially in the SPM module's circulation piping. This can cause inaccurate flow rate measurements by the flowmeter or the concentration meter to fail to correctly display the actual measured concentration value. Furthermore, the pumps commonly used in chemical cleaning are diaphragm pumps, which cause the chemical solution in the circulation piping to flow in a pulsed manner, resulting in an uneven flow rate in the piping, which also makes flow rate or concentration measurement difficult.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The first purpose of the present application is to provide a liquid debubbling device to solve the technical problem of a large number of liquid mixed bubbles in the existing tested pipeline.

[0006] The liquid defoaming device provided in this application is applied to semiconductor cleaning equipment, and the liquid defoaming device includes:

[0007] The debubble cavity has an inner wall surface that is a rotational curved surface, and the radius of the lower portion of the inner wall surface gradually decreases from top to bottom; the debubble cavity is provided with a liquid inlet and a first liquid discharge port, the liquid inlet is provided at the upper portion of the debubble cavity and the liquid inlet direction of the liquid inlet is parallel to the tangential direction of the upper portion of the inner wall surface of the debubble cavity, and the first liquid discharge port is located in the middle of the bottom end of the inner wall surface; and,

[0008] The cover body is arranged on the defoaming cavity, and the cover body has a second liquid discharge port, and the second liquid discharge port is arranged opposite to the center of the top of the defoaming cavity.

[0009] In some technical solutions, the liquid defoaming device also includes a guide member arranged opposite to the liquid inlet, and the first surface of the guide member facing the liquid inlet gradually decreases in the direction of flow of the mixed liquid flowing into the liquid inlet along the first surface, and the first surface is used to increase the speed of the mixed liquid flowing downward.

[0010] In some technical solutions, along the direction in which the mixed liquid flows on the first surface, the acute angle between the first surface and the horizontal direction gradually increases.

[0011] In some technical solutions, the guide member is a rotating impeller, which rotates circumferentially relative to the cover body and is axially fixed.

[0012] In some technical solutions, the cover includes:

[0013] a cover body; and

[0014] The impeller mounting portion is fixedly connected to a surface of the cover body facing the inner side of the defoaming cavity; the bottom of the impeller mounting portion is fixedly connected to an impeller fixing piece, and the impeller fixing piece is used to axially fix the rotating impeller.

[0015] In some technical solutions, the impeller mounting portion has a sleeve portion, the bottom of the sleeve portion is provided with an internal thread, the impeller fixing piece has an external thread, and the impeller fixing piece is fixedly connected to the sleeve portion through the external thread and the internal thread that cooperate with each other.

[0016] In some technical solutions, the liquid defoaming device further includes:

[0017] The drain pipe is located at the top of the space in the defoaming cavity and is communicated with the second drain port. The top of the drain pipe is provided with a radial through hole penetrating along the wall thickness direction of the drain pipe.

[0018] In some technical solutions, the upper portion of the inner wall surface of the defoaming cavity is a cylindrical surface.

[0019] The second purpose of the present application is to provide a cleaning device to solve the technical problem of a large number of liquid mixed bubbles in the tested pipeline.

[0020] The cleaning equipment provided in the present application includes a circulation pump, a heater, a filter and any one of the above-mentioned liquid defoaming devices connected in sequence.

[0021] In some technical solutions, the cleaning equipment also includes a process tank, which includes an inner tank and an outer tank arranged outside the inner tank, the inlet of the circulation pump is connected to the outlet of the outer tank, the outlet of the filter is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid defoaming device, the first discharge port of the liquid defoaming device is connected to the inlet of the inner tank through a flow meter, and the second discharge port of the liquid defoaming device is connected to the inlet of the outer tank through a throttling device.

[0022] In some technical solutions, the cleaning equipment also includes a process tank, which includes an inner tank and an outer tank arranged outside the inner tank, the inlet of the circulation pump is connected to the outlet of the outer tank, the outlet of the filter is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid defoaming device and the inlet of the flow meter, the outlet of the flow meter is connected to the inlet of the inner tank, the first discharge port of the liquid defoaming device is connected to the inlet of the outer tank through a concentration meter, and the second discharge port of the liquid defoaming device is connected to the inlet of the outer tank through a throttling device.

[0023] In some technical solutions, the throttling element includes a throttling cavity, the bottom of the inner wall of the throttling cavity is a hemispherical surface, and a throttling hole is provided at the bottom of the throttling cavity.

[0024] In some technical solutions, the throttling element is a needle valve or a capillary tube.

[0025] The beneficial effects brought about by the liquid defoaming device and cleaning equipment of the present application are:

[0026] The liquid debubbling device of the present application sets the liquid inlet at the upper part of the debubbling cavity and is set in a direction parallel to the tangential direction of the upper part of the inner wall surface. When the mixed liquid flows from the liquid inlet into the upper part of the debubbling cavity, the original linear motion of the mixed liquid in a direction parallel to the tangential direction of the upper part of the inner wall surface is changed into a circular motion along the upper part of the inner wall surface. Under the action of centrifugal force, the mixed liquid is thrown toward the inner wall surface of the debubbling cavity. Once it contacts the inner wall surface, it will move in a spiral shape along the upper part of the inner wall surface toward the lower part of the inner wall surface. Since the density of the liquid in the mixed liquid is much greater than the density of the bubbles mixed therein, during the above-mentioned spiral motion process, the liquid will be more likely to concentrate on the inner wall surface than the bubbles, that is, the liquid portion will be thrown toward the inner wall surface in a larger proportion, while the bubbles will be relatively far away from the inner wall surface.

[0027] When the mixed liquid enters the lower part of the inner wall, where the radius gradually decreases from top to bottom, since the flow of the mixed liquid is not in an absolutely horizontal plane, the gravitational acceleration will be converted into an increase in the actual tangential velocity due to the shape of the lower part of the inner wall. In addition, as the rotation radius gradually decreases, the inertial centrifugal force of the mixed liquid will also increase, and the tendency of the liquid in the mixed liquid to separate outward will become more obvious. At the same time, as the rotation radius gradually decreases, the mixed liquid will also produce a velocity component toward the center of the bottom of the inner wall, and eventually form a centripetal radial liquid flow under the squeeze of the external vortex at the bottom. In addition, during movement, due to the low density of the bubbles, the bubbles will gradually float upward. Since subsequent liquid is continuously injected near the position of the inner wall, the bubbles will gradually converge toward the center of the debubble cavity and upward. As a result, the liquid that descends to the bottom of the debubble cavity contains almost no bubbles and can be discharged through the first drain port located in the middle of the bottom. However, the mixed liquid containing a higher proportion of bubbles cannot be discharged from the first discharge port under the action of the original tangential velocity, and will still form a spiral flow. At the same time, its outside is still restricted by the downward-moving external vortex flowing close to the inner wall surface. Therefore, this part of the mixed liquid containing a higher proportion of bubbles forms a spiral upward flow and is discharged through the second discharge port.

[0028] Therefore, the liquid debubbling device can effectively separate the liquid with a high bubble content from the liquid without bubbles in the mixed liquid. Compared with static gas-liquid separation or a chamber that does not use a radius that gradually decreases from top to bottom, the separation speed and separation efficiency are higher. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or background technologies of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or background technology descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without any creative work.

[0030] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning device provided by the related art;

[0031] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another cleaning device provided by the related art;

[0032] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid defoaming device provided in Example 1 of the present application;

[0033] FIG4 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid defoaming device provided in Example 1 of the present application;

[0034] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a debubbling chamber in a liquid debubbling device provided in Example 1 of the present application;

[0035] FIG6 is a left side view of FIG5;

[0036] FIG7 is a top view of FIG5;

[0037] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of liquid flow in a liquid defoaming device provided in Example 1 of the present application;

[0038] FIG9 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid defoaming device provided in Example 1 of the present application at another position;

[0039] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a cover body in the liquid defoaming device provided in Example 1 of the present application;

[0040] FIG11 is a structural schematic diagram of the cover body of the liquid defoaming device provided in Example 1 of the present application from another perspective;

[0041] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of an implementation of a cleaning device provided in Example 2 of the present application;

[0042] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of another implementation of the cleaning device provided in Example 2 of the present application;

[0043] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of an implementation of a throttling element in a cleaning device provided in Example 2 of the present application;

[0044] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of the throttling member shown in FIG14 observed from another angle.

[0045] Explanation of the accompanying symbols: 10-liquid inlet pipe; 20-male threaded connector; 30-gas-liquid outlet pipe joint; 40-cover body; 41-second drain port; 42-cover body; 43-impeller mounting portion; 44-internal thread; 45-drain pipe; 46-radial through hole; 50-defoaming cavity; 51-upper part of the inner wall; 52-lower part of the inner wall; 53-liquid inlet; 54-first drain port; 60-liquid outlet joint; 70-rotating impeller; 80-impeller fixing member; 90-sealing ring; 110-process tank; 111-inner tank; 112-outer tank; 120-circulating pump; 130-heater; 140-filter; 150-flow meter; 160-concentrator; 170-throttling device; 171-throttling cavity; 172-throttling hole; 180-liquid defoaming device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Figure 1 shows the circulation pipeline devices in the cleaning equipment in the related art. The process tank 110 is divided into an inner tank 111 and an outer tank 112. After the chemical liquid flows out of the outer tank 112, it enters the circulation pump 120, passes through the heater 130, the filter 140, and the flow meter 150, and flows into the inner tank 111. Then, it overflows from the inner tank 111 to the outer tank 112, completing a cycle. The wafer is cleaned in the inner tank 111.

[0047] Figure 2 illustrates the circulation piping components of a cleaning device that includes concentration detection in related art. The liquid flows out of outer tank 112 and enters circulation pump 120. It then passes through heater 130, filter 140, and flowmeter 150 before flowing into inner tank 111. From inner tank 111, it overflows into outer tank 112, completing a cycle. Because concentration meter 160 must maintain room temperature during operation, it cannot be integrated into the main circulation piping. A branch must be created after filter 140 to allow the liquid to enter concentration meter 160. After measurement, the liquid then flows directly back to outer tank 112 of process tank 110.

[0048] To enhance cleaning effectiveness, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is often added to the circulation piping during the cleaning process. This can lead to a large number of bubbles in the piping, especially in the SPM module's circulation piping. This can cause inaccurate flow rate measurements by the flowmeter or the concentration meter to fail to correctly display the actual measured concentration value. Furthermore, the pumps commonly used in chemical cleaning are diaphragm pumps, which cause the chemical solution in the circulation piping to flow in a pulsed manner, resulting in an uneven flow rate in the piping, which also makes flow rate or concentration measurement difficult.

[0049] An existing device for removing bubbles from liquids includes a degassing tank, a liquid inlet, an exhaust port, a liquid drain port, a control module, and a liquid level detection module. The inner cavity of the degassing tank provides space for separating liquid and bubbles. The liquid inlet is located at the top of the degassing tank and is equipped with an inlet valve. The exhaust port is located at the top of the degassing tank and is equipped with an exhaust valve. The liquid drain port is located at the bottom of the degassing tank and is equipped with a drain valve. The inlet valve, exhaust valve, and drain valve are all electrically connected to the control module and are configured to perform corresponding actions under the control of the control module. The liquid level detection module is electrically connected to the control module and is configured to detect the liquid level in the degassing tank and provide feedback to the control module. The beneficial effect of this device is that, under the control of the control module, bubbles in the liquid are automatically separated and discharged from the liquid, preventing bubbles in the liquid from adversely affecting subsequent reactions.

[0050] However, this solution involves multiple electrically connected pneumatic valves, liquid level sensors, and control modules, which require electrical or software programming control, are relatively complex in design, and are costly. Moreover, although the device can automatically separate bubbles from the liquid, sudden changes in flow during the opening and closing of the pneumatic valve will inevitably cause instantaneous turbulence in the flow of liquid in the circulation pipeline, interfering with the cleaning process.

[0051] In order to make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the following detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present application is given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0052] Example 1:

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid debubbling device provided in Example 1 of the present application; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid debubbling device provided in Example 1 of the present application; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the debubbling chamber in the liquid debubbling device provided in Example 1 of the present application; Figure 6 is a left side view of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a top view of Figure 5. As shown in Figures 3-7, the liquid debubbling device provided in Example 1 of the present application is applied to semiconductor cleaning equipment and includes a debubbling chamber 50 and a cover 40.

[0054] The inner wall surface of the debubble cavity 50 is a rotating curved surface, and the radius of the lower part 52 of the inner wall surface gradually decreases from top to bottom; the debubble cavity 50 is provided with a liquid inlet 53 and a first liquid discharge port 54, the liquid inlet 53 is arranged at the upper part of the debubble cavity 50 and the liquid inlet direction of the liquid inlet 53 is parallel to the tangential direction of the upper part 51 of the inner wall surface of the debubble cavity 50, and the first liquid discharge port 54 is located in the middle of the bottom end of the inner wall surface.

[0055] The cover 40 is disposed on the debubble cavity 50 . The cover 40 has a second liquid discharge port 41 (as shown in FIG. 11 ). The second liquid discharge port 41 is disposed opposite to the center of the top of the debubble cavity 50 .

[0056] In this embodiment, the lower portion 52 of the inner wall of the defoaming cavity 50 is in the shape of a truncated cone. In other implementations, the lower portion 52 can also be in other shapes, such as a portion of an ellipsoid, a portion of a parabola, a portion of a rugby ball, a portion of a sphere, or even a portion of a teardrop. Any shape with a radius that gradually decreases from top to bottom, or even with a sudden angle change in the lower portion 52, is acceptable, as long as the radius decreases from top to bottom.

[0057] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first liquid outlet 54 is provided with a liquid outlet connector 60 , and the second liquid outlet 41 is provided with a gas-liquid outlet connector 30 . The liquid inlet 53 is connected to the liquid inlet pipe 10 outside the bubble cavity 50 .

[0058] The edge of the cover 40 can be mounted on the debubble chamber 50 by engaging a male threaded connector 20, such as a screw or bolt, with a threaded hole provided on the top surface of the debubble chamber 50. A sealing ring 90 is provided between the debubble chamber 50 and the cover 40 to achieve a seal between the debubble chamber 50 and the cover 40. The sealing ring 90 is, for example, partially fixed in a mounting groove on the top surface of the debubble chamber 50.

[0059] The liquid inlet 53 is arranged at the upper portion of the debubble cavity 50 and in a direction parallel to the tangential direction of the upper portion of the inner wall 51. This allows the mixed liquid to change its original linear motion along the tangential direction parallel to the upper portion of the inner wall 51 into a circular motion along the upper portion of the inner wall 51 when it flows from the liquid inlet 53 into the upper portion of the debubble cavity 50. Under the action of centrifugal force, the mixed liquid is thrown toward the inner wall of the debubble cavity 50. Once it contacts the inner wall, it moves in a spiral shape along the upper portion of the inner wall 51 toward the lower portion of the inner wall 52. Since the density of the liquid in the mixed liquid is much greater than the density of the bubbles mixed therein, during the above-mentioned spiral motion, the liquid is more likely to concentrate toward the inner wall than the bubbles, that is, a larger proportion of the liquid will be thrown toward the inner wall, while the bubbles will be relatively away from the inner wall.

[0060] When the mixed liquid enters the lower part 52 of the inner wall surface, whose radius gradually decreases from top to bottom, since the flow of the mixed liquid is not in an absolute horizontal plane, the gravitational acceleration will be converted into an increase in the actual tangential velocity under the shape coordination of the lower part 52 of the inner wall surface. Moreover, the rotation radius gradually decreases, so the inertial centrifugal force of the mixed liquid will also increase, and thus the tendency of the liquid in the mixed liquid to separate outward will be more obvious. At the same time, as the rotation radius gradually decreases, the mixed liquid will also produce a velocity component toward the center of the bottom of the inner wall surface, and eventually form a centripetal radial liquid flow under the extrusion of the outer vortex at the bottom. In addition, during the movement, due to the low density of the bubbles, the bubbles will gradually float upward. Since subsequent liquid is continuously injected near the position of the inner wall surface, the bubbles will gradually converge toward the center of the debubble cavity 50 and upward. As a result, the liquid that descends to the bottom of the debubble cavity 50 contains almost no bubbles and can be discharged through the first liquid discharge port 54 located in the middle of the bottom. However, the mixed liquid containing a relatively large proportion of bubbles cannot be discharged from the first liquid discharge port 54 under the action of the original tangential velocity, and still forms a spiral flow. At the same time, its exterior is still restricted by the downward-moving external vortex flow close to the inner wall. Therefore, this portion of the mixed liquid containing a relatively large proportion of bubbles forms a spiral upward flow, i.e., an upward internal vortex flow, and is finally discharged through the second liquid discharge port 41. The flow state of the mixed liquid in the debubble chamber 50 is shown in Figure 8. The spiral line where the hollow arrow is located in Figure 8 represents the downward external vortex flow, while the spiral line where the solid arrow is located represents the upward internal vortex flow.

[0061] Therefore, the liquid debubbling device can effectively separate the liquid with a high bubble content from the liquid without bubbles in the mixed liquid. Compared with static gas-liquid separation or a chamber that does not use a radius that gradually decreases from top to bottom, the separation speed and separation efficiency are higher.

[0062] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid debubbling device provided in Example 1 of the present application at another position, so as to more clearly show the situation in which the mixed liquid entering the debubbling cavity from the liquid inlet is guided by the guide member; as shown in Figures 4, 8 and 9, preferably, the liquid debubbling device also includes a guide member arranged opposite to the liquid inlet 53, and the first surface of the guide member facing the liquid inlet 53 gradually decreases in the direction of flow of the first surface (i.e., the liquid inlet direction) of the mixed liquid flowing into the liquid inlet 53, and the first surface is used to increase the speed at which the mixed liquid flows downward.

[0063] Among them, in this embodiment, the first surface is the lower surface of the guide member. Since the lower surface of the guide member is inclined, the lower surface of the guide member is also the surface of the guide member facing the liquid inlet 53. After the mixed liquid enters the debubbling cavity 50, it first impacts the lower surface of the guide member and is guided by the lower surface of the guide member to change the flow direction.

[0064] By setting the above-mentioned guide member, part of the velocity of the mixed liquid flowing into the liquid inlet 53 can be converted into a velocity toward the bottom of the debubble cavity 50, so that the mixed liquid has a horizontal velocity component along the tangential direction parallel to the upper part of the inner wall surface 51, and a downward vertical velocity component along the height direction of the debubble cavity 50. This not only accelerates the downward flow velocity of the mixed liquid, accelerates the separation of the internal vortex and the external vortex, and avoids a large amount of mixed liquid from accumulating in the upper part of the debubble cavity 50 for a long time, but also can disperse the gas and liquid in the mixed liquid, breaking the original tendency of uniform mixing of bubbles and liquid, thereby improving the separation efficiency.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 4 , FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 , preferably, along the direction in which the mixed liquid flows on the first surface, the acute angle between the first surface and the horizontal direction gradually increases.

[0066] Specifically, the first surface may be a curved surface with arc surfaces at all positions, or may be a broken line surface including a plurality of planes, wherein the planes may be transitioned by rounded corners or folded corners.

[0067] Along the direction of the mixed liquid flowing on the first surface, the acute angle between the first surface and the horizontal direction gradually increases, which can gradually convert the tangential velocity of the mixed liquid along the upper part 51 of the inner wall surface into a vertical downward velocity component, thereby reducing the speed loss of the mixed liquid during the direction change process, which is beneficial to ensure the flow velocity of the mixed liquid in the defoaming cavity 50, so as to facilitate the smooth progress of gas-liquid separation.

[0068] In another implementation, the first surface of the guide blade may be an inclined plane, which may also partially convert the horizontal component of the flow velocity of the mixed liquid into a vertical velocity component.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 4 , preferably, the guide member is a rotating impeller 70 , which rotates circumferentially relative to the cover body 40 and is fixed axially.

[0070] In this embodiment, the rotating impeller serving as a guide member may include multiple guide blades, the lower surfaces of which are the first surfaces. During operation of the liquid defoamer, the lower surfaces of the different guide blades can be impacted by and guide the mixed liquid flowing into the liquid inlet 53. The guide blades in the rotating impeller may have a root portion that forms an angle of 60° with the horizontal direction, for example, and a free end portion that forms an angle of 30° with the horizontal direction, for example.

[0071] The rotating impeller 70 serves as a guide member. When impacted by the mixed liquid entering the liquid inlet 53, the guide member rotates in the direction of the liquid inflow, i.e., along the circumference of the upper portion of the inner wall surface. This reduces the direct impact of the liquid flow on the guide member, and accordingly, reduces the guide member's obstruction to the liquid flow, thereby reducing the loss of liquid energy during the flow process. Furthermore, the liquid flow allows different guide vanes to be impacted by different guide vanes, preventing a fixed area of ​​a guide vane from being continuously impacted for a long period of time, which helps to extend the service life of the guide member.

[0072] In another implementation, the guide member can be fixedly provided, for example, one or more guide plates can be fixedly provided, and the lower surface of the guide plate gradually decreases along the liquid inlet direction. The lower surface of the guide plate can be a plane or a curved surface, so that the mixed liquid entering along the liquid inlet 53 can convert the tangential momentum into vertical downward momentum, thereby accelerating the flow of the liquid.

[0073] Figure 10 is a structural schematic diagram of the cover body in the liquid defoaming device provided in Example 1 of the present application; Figure 11 is a structural schematic diagram of the cover body in the liquid defoaming device provided in Example 1 of the present application from another perspective; as shown in Figures 4 and 10 and 11, preferably, the cover body 40 includes: a cover body 42 and an impeller mounting portion 43.

[0074] The impeller mounting portion 43 is fixedly connected to a surface of the cover body 42 facing the inner side of the defoaming cavity 50 ; the bottom of the impeller mounting portion 43 is fixedly connected to an impeller fixing member 80 for axially fixing the rotating impeller 70 .

[0075] Among them, the rotating impeller 70 and / or the impeller mounting portion 43 can be made of polytetrafluoroethylene. Polytetrafluoroethylene is not only chemically stable, but also has self-lubricating properties, which is beneficial to reducing the friction between the impeller mounting portion 43 and the rotating impeller 70, and there is no need to specially set up a rotating bearing to install the rotating impeller 70.

[0076] By fixing the impeller fixing member 80 to the bottom of the impeller mounting portion 43 , the rotary impeller 70 can be prevented from moving in the axial direction of the impeller mounting portion 43 .

[0077] In another implementation, a vertical shaft can also be set at the top of the inner wall surface of the defoaming chamber 50. Specifically, the vertical shaft can be fixedly connected to the top of the inner wall surface by one or more cantilever beams, and the rotary impeller 70 is rotatably mounted on the vertical shaft. Of course, the vertical shaft can be solid or hollow. As long as the mixed liquid from the liquid inlet 53 flows to the rotary impeller 70, the rotary impeller 70 is driven to rotate. Therefore, the rotary impeller 70 and the cover body 40 are relatively circumferentially rotated and axially fixed. It is not limited to the rotary impeller 70 being connected to the cover body 40 by an axis or a cylindrical part, but represents the relative motion relationship between the two. No matter where the rotary impeller 70 is rotatably mounted, it is sufficient as long as it is relatively circumferentially rotated and axially fixed with the cover body 40.

[0078] As shown in Figures 4 and 10, preferably, the impeller mounting portion 43 has a sleeve portion, the bottom of the sleeve portion is provided with an internal thread 44, the impeller fixing member 80 has an external thread, and the impeller fixing member 80 is fixedly connected to the sleeve portion through the external thread and the internal thread 44 that cooperate with each other.

[0079] Specifically, in this embodiment, the impeller fixing member 80 is also hollow and cylindrical. In addition to the portion with external threads, the impeller fixing member 80 also has a flange portion. After the impeller fixing member 80 is screwed onto the sleeve portion, the flange portion of the impeller fixing member 80 can axially limit the rotating impeller 70.

[0080] By setting the thread on the inner side of the sleeve, the space on the outer surface of the sleeve can be released, so that the sleeve can have a larger length to cooperate with the rotating impeller 70, thereby increasing the length of the rotating connection support for the rotating impeller 70 and improving the stability of the movement of the rotating impeller 70.

[0081] In another embodiment, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the liquid defoaming device further includes a drain pipe 45, which is located at the top of the space within the defoaming cavity 50 and is connected to the second drain port 41. On this basis, the impeller mounting portion 43 can be coaxial with the drain pipe 45 or non-coaxial with the drain pipe 45. For example, the impeller mounting portion 43 can be a hollow cylindrical or solid shaft. That is, in addition to the second drain port 41 and the drain pipe 45 provided on the cover body 42, an impeller mounting portion 43 is separately provided to install the rotating impeller 70. As long as the rotating impeller 70 can rotate under the action of the mixed liquid in the liquid inlet 53 and change the flow direction of the mixed liquid, the effect of accelerating the flow of the liquid and dispersing the bubbles and liquid in the mixed liquid can also be achieved.

[0082] In another implementation, the impeller fixing member 80 can be a positioning pin that radially passes through the impeller mounting portion 43, or a full circle or multiple sections of annular outer flange are provided on the outer side surface of the bottom of the impeller mounting portion 43, and the lower surface of the annular outer flange is a conical surface. The impeller mounting portion 43 can squeeze the annular outer flange during the installation process and then be installed in place.

[0083] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, preferably, the liquid debubbling device also includes a drain pipe 45, which is located at the top of the space within the debubbling cavity 50 and is connected to the second drain port 41. The top of the drain pipe 45 is provided with a radial through hole 46 that penetrates along the wall thickness direction of the drain pipe 45.

[0084] Specifically, in this embodiment, the drain pipe 45 is fixedly connected to the surface of the cover body 42 facing the inner side of the defoaming cavity 50. More specifically, the drain pipe 45 can be coaxially arranged with the second drain port 41. When the upward-flowing internal vortex mixed liquid enters the drain pipe 45, it can directly enter the second drain port 41. The drain pipe 45 can be integrally arranged with the impeller mounting portion 43.

[0085] By providing a radial through hole 46 penetrating along the wall thickness direction of the drain pipe 45 at the top of the drain pipe 45, the liquid in the mixed liquid with a large bubble content moving upward can be discharged from the radial through hole 46, so that the bubble content in the mixed liquid discharged from the second drain port 41 is larger.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 8 , preferably, the upper portion 51 of the inner wall surface of the defoaming cavity 50 is a cylindrical surface.

[0087] By setting the inner wall surface of the debubble cavity 50 to a cylindrical surface, the upper portion of the debubble cavity 50 can have a larger chamber space, which can offset the pulses generated by the diaphragm pump and achieve a flow stabilization and buffering effect.

[0088] Example 2:

[0089] The second embodiment further provides a cleaning device, comprising a circulation pump 120, a heater 130, a filter 140 and the liquid defoaming device 180 of the first embodiment, which are connected in sequence.

[0090] By arranging the liquid defoaming device 180 in the cleaning equipment, the cleaning equipment accordingly has all the advantages of the liquid defoaming device 180, which will not be described in detail here.

[0091] Figure 12 is a structural schematic diagram of an implementation method of the cleaning equipment provided in Example 2 of the present application; as shown in Figure 12, preferably, the cleaning equipment also includes a process tank 110, the process tank 110 includes an inner tank 111 and an outer tank 112 arranged on the outside of the inner tank 111, the inlet of the circulating pump 120 is connected to the outlet of the outer tank 112, the outlet of the filter 140 is connected to the liquid inlet 53 of the liquid defoaming device 180, the first discharge port 54 of the liquid defoaming device 180 is connected to the inlet of the inner tank 111 through the flow meter 150, and the second discharge port 41 of the liquid defoaming device 180 is connected to the inlet of the outer tank 112 through the throttling member 170.

[0092] After flowing out of the outer tank 112, the liquid medicine enters the circulation pump 120, passes through the heater 130, the filter 140, and the liquid defoaming device 180, wherein the mixed liquid enters from the liquid inlet 53 of the liquid defoaming device 180, flows out from the first liquid discharge port 54 at the bottom of the liquid defoaming device 180, enters the inner tank 111 through the flow meter 150, and then overflows from the inner tank 111 to the outer tank 112, thus completing a cycle. The mixed liquid with a high bubble content discharged from the second liquid discharge port 41 at the top of the liquid defoaming device 180 flows back to the outer tank 112 through the throttling device 170.

[0093] By passing the liquid flowing out of the first liquid discharge port 54 of the liquid defoaming device 180 through the flow meter 150, the liquid flow measured by the flow meter 150 is closer to the actual flow, which can improve the accuracy of the flow measurement and thus improve the control precision.

[0094] Figure 13 is a structural schematic diagram of another implementation method of the cleaning equipment provided in Example 2 of the present application; as shown in Figure 13, preferably, the cleaning equipment also includes a process tank 110, the process tank 110 includes an inner tank 111 and an outer tank 112 arranged on the outside of the inner tank 111, the inlet of the circulating pump 120 is connected to the outlet of the outer tank 112, the outlet of the filter 140 is connected to the liquid inlet 53 of the liquid defoaming device 180 and the inlet of the flow meter 150, the outlet of the flow meter 150 is connected to the inlet of the inner tank 111, the first discharge port 54 of the liquid defoaming device 180 is connected to the inlet of the outer tank 112 through the concentrator 160, and the second discharge port 41 of the liquid defoaming device 180 is connected to the inlet of the outer tank 112 through the throttling member 170.

[0095] After flowing out of the outer tank 112, the liquid enters the circulation pump 120, passes through the heater 130, the filter 140, and the flowmeter 150, flows into the inner tank 111, and then overflows from the inner tank 111 to the outer tank 112, thus completing a cycle. In order to detect the concentration, a branch is formed after the filter 140 to allow the mixed liquid to enter the liquid inlet 53 of the liquid defoaming device 180. The bubble-free liquid flowing out of the first drain port 54 at the bottom of the liquid defoaming device 180 enters the concentration meter 160 for detection. After detection, the liquid flows back to the outer tank 112; the mixed liquid with a high bubble content discharged from the second drain port 41 at the top of the liquid defoaming device 180 flows back to the outer tank 112 through the throttling device 170.

[0096] By passing the liquid flowing out of the first liquid discharge port 54 of the liquid defoaming device 180 through the concentration meter 160, the liquid flow rate measured by the concentration meter 160 is closer to the actual flow rate, which can improve the accuracy of the flow measurement and thus improve the control precision.

[0097] Figure 14 is a structural schematic diagram of an implementation method of the throttling device in the cleaning equipment provided in Example 2 of the present application; Figure 15 is a structural schematic diagram of the throttling device shown in Figure 14 observed from another angle; as shown in Figures 14 and 15, preferably, the throttling device 170 includes a throttling cavity 171, the bottom of the inner wall surface of the throttling cavity 171 is a hemispherical surface, and a throttling hole 172 is provided at the bottom of the throttling cavity 171.

[0098] By providing a throttle member 170 with a throttle hole 172, due to the influence of surface tension, the smaller the diameter of throttle hole 172, the weaker the ability of liquid to pass through throttle hole 172. Correspondingly, the gas ratio in the gas-liquid mixture discharged from throttle hole 172 increases. To ensure the gas discharge speed of the liquid defoaming device 180, the diameter of throttle hole 172 should not be too small. Therefore, by selecting the appropriate diameter of throttle hole 172, the gas-liquid ratio and flow rate of the mixed liquid discharged from the second liquid discharge port 41 can be effectively controlled, thereby improving the reflux utilization rate of the liquid in the circulation loop.

[0099] Preferably, the throttle member 170 is a needle valve or a capillary tube.

[0100] The above settings can effectively control the gas-liquid ratio and flow rate in the discharged mixed liquid, improve the reflux utilization rate of the liquid in the circulation loop, avoid the cumbersome design brought about by the introduction of pneumatic valves and sensors, and facilitate maintenance.

[0101] Although the present application is disclosed as above, the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be based on the scope defined by the claims.

[0102] Finally, it should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "comprises" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device that includes the element.

[0103] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of directions such as “upper” and “lower” are all based on the drawings.

[0104] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable those skilled in the art to implement or use the present application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application.

[0105] Thus, the present application will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A liquid defoaming device, characterized in that: Applied to semiconductor cleaning equipment, the liquid defoaming device comprises: The debubble cavity has an inner wall surface that is a rotational curved surface, and the radius of the lower part of the inner wall surface gradually decreases from top to bottom; the debubble cavity is provided with a liquid inlet and a first liquid discharge port, the liquid inlet is arranged at the upper part of the debubble cavity and the liquid inlet direction of the liquid inlet is parallel to the tangential direction of the upper part of the inner wall surface of the debubble cavity, and the first liquid discharge port is located at the middle part of the bottom end of the inner wall surface; and, The cover body is arranged on the defoaming cavity, and the cover body has a second liquid discharge port, and the second liquid discharge port is arranged opposite to the center of the top of the defoaming cavity.

2. The liquid defoaming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid defoaming device also includes a guide member arranged opposite to the liquid inlet, wherein a first surface of the guide member facing the liquid inlet gradually lowers the mixed liquid flowing in along the liquid inlet in the direction of flow of the first surface, and the first surface is used to increase the speed of the mixed liquid flowing downward.

3. The liquid defoaming device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Along the direction in which the mixed liquid flows on the first surface, the acute angle between the first surface and the horizontal direction gradually increases.

4. The liquid defoaming device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The guide member is a rotating impeller, and the rotating impeller rotates relative to the cover body in the circumferential direction and is axially fixed.

5. The liquid defoaming device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cover body comprises: a cover body; and The impeller mounting portion is fixedly connected to a surface of the cover body facing the inner side of the defoaming cavity; the bottom of the impeller mounting portion is fixedly connected to an impeller fixing piece, and the impeller fixing piece is used to axially fix the rotating impeller.

6. The liquid defoaming device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The impeller mounting portion has a sleeve portion, the bottom of the sleeve portion is provided with an internal thread, the impeller fixing piece has an external thread, and the impeller fixing piece is fixedly connected to the sleeve portion through the external thread and the internal thread that cooperate with each other.

7. The liquid defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The liquid defoaming device also includes: The drain pipe is located at the top of the space in the defoaming cavity and is communicated with the second drain port. The top of the drain pipe is provided with a radial through hole penetrating along the wall thickness direction of the drain pipe.

8. The liquid defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The upper part of the inner wall surface of the defoaming cavity is a cylindrical surface.

9. A cleaning device, characterized in that: The cleaning equipment comprises a circulation pump, a heater, a filter and a liquid defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 which are connected in sequence.

10. The cleaning device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The cleaning equipment also includes a process tank, which includes an inner tank and an outer tank arranged outside the inner tank, the inlet of the circulation pump is connected to the outlet of the outer tank, the outlet of the filter is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid defoaming device, the first discharge port of the liquid defoaming device is connected to the inlet of the inner tank through a flow meter, and the second discharge port of the liquid defoaming device is connected to the inlet of the outer tank through a throttling device.

11. The cleaning device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The cleaning equipment also includes a process tank, which includes an inner tank and an outer tank arranged outside the inner tank, the inlet of the circulating pump is connected to the outlet of the outer tank, the outlet of the filter is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid defoaming device and the inlet of the flow meter, the outlet of the flow meter is connected to the inlet of the inner tank, the first discharge port of the liquid defoaming device is connected to the inlet of the outer tank through a concentration meter, and the second discharge port of the liquid defoaming device is connected to the inlet of the outer tank through a throttling device.

12. The cleaning device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The throttling element comprises a throttling cavity, the bottom of the inner wall surface of the throttling cavity is a hemispherical surface, and a throttling hole is arranged at the bottom of the throttling cavity.

13. The cleaning device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The throttling element is a needle valve or a capillary tube.

Images